# Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc (ASL.L) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. LSE, United Kingdom. Sector: Financial Services. Price 1754p, market value 1.3 billionp.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 15.1×** (5-yr avg 919.6×, 3-yr avg 1108.8×). Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc trades at 15.1× trailing earnings, well below its own five-year average of 919.6×: cheap by its own standards. The Financial Services median in the September 2026 study was 13.1×.
- **Price / sales: 3.4×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 3.4×.
- **Price / book: 1.0×**. The shares trade below book value, which can signal a bargain or a balance sheet the market doubts.
- **EV / EBITDA: 5.4×**. Enterprise value is 5.4× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed; below 8× is inexpensive for most sectors.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 6.4%** (5-yr avg 0.0%). Free cash flow equals 6.4% of the market value, above its five-year average of 0.0%, so the shares are cheaper on cash than they have usually been. Above 5% is generally attractive.
- **Earnings yield: 6.6%**. The inverse of the P/E: 6.6% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Gross margin: 95.2%**. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc keeps 95.2% of revenue after the direct cost of what it sells, the kind of margin that comes with software, brands or pricing power.
- **Operating margin: 65.2%**. 65.2% of revenue is left after running the business, an exceptional level.
- **Net margin: 61.9%**. 61.9% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 6.9%**. 6.9% on shareholders' equity is weak; the business earns little on the capital its owners have in it.
- **Return on invested capital: 17.7%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 17.7%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 16.9%**. Each dollar of assets produces 16.9% of profit; low single digits are normal for banks and insurers.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): -8.1%** (3-yr 12.2%/yr). Revenue fell 8.1% over the last year.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -34.4%**. Earnings per share fell 34.4%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 0.3%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 0.3% a year over three years.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 5/9**. 5 of 9 checks pass: mixed.
- **Cash and short-term investments: 5 millionp**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend: none**. Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust Plc does not currently pay a dividend, but it returned 5.1% of its market value through buybacks over the last year.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 17.4%** (YTD 12.7%, 3-mo 11.4%). The shares are up 17.4% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -5.3%** (24.6% above the low). Trading 5% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 62**. An RSI of 62 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.78** (volatility 15%). Beta of 0.78 against the FTSE All-Share: the shares move roughly with the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=ASL.L · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/asl.l

Not investment advice.